The present invention relates to a control device for a communication system of an aircraft, in particular of a transport plane.
Within the framework of the present invention, the expression communication system is understood to mean a set of standard items of communication equipment, making it possible to implement and to supervise the audio communications on board the aircraft. These audio communications are, in particular, all those that the pilots of the aircraft may have, in particular with the air traffic control (by way of VHF [Very High Frequency] channels or HF [High Frequency] channels for example), with the airline companies (by way of a telephone link, for example on the xe2x80x9cSATCOMxe2x80x9d network), etc.
To control such a communication system (that is to say the set of said items of communication equipment), use is generally made of three different, mutually separate devices which are supplementary in respect of control, namely:
a device for the selection or manual adjustment of the telephone numbers, via the SATCOM system for example, generally from a tree of MCDU pages (xe2x80x9cMultipurpose Control and Display Unitxe2x80x9d);
a device of the ACP type (xe2x80x9cAudio Control Panelxe2x80x9d) for mixing several radiocommunication channels (VHF, HF, etc.) in reception. Within the framework of the present invention, the expression channel mixing (or radio frequency mixing) is understood to mean the mixing of several channels (or radio frequencies) with a particular adjustment of the sound volume of each of these channels (or radio frequencies) allowing simultaneous listening to the channels (or radio frequencies) thus adjusted. This ACP device also allows an operator to select the channel for the transmission (a single channel at a time); and
a device for adjusting frequencies, of the RMP (xe2x80x9cRadio Management Panelxe2x80x9d), RCP (xe2x80x9cRadio Control Panelxe2x80x9d) or RTP (xe2x80x9cRadio Tuning Panelxe2x80x9d) type, for adjusting the radio frequencies of the various channels. This device for adjusting frequencies includes display means making it possible to depict on a presentation screen one, and only one, radiocommunication channel from among the various channels which are activated, which radiocommunication channel may be selected via push knobs or for which the radio frequency can be modified.
As said frequency adjusting device RMP, RCP or RTP:
is independent of the ACP device intended for mixing and for adjusting the sound volume, as well as for selecting the channel for transmission; and
displays only a radio frequency which is selected for a particular channel,
the operators (pilot, co-pilot, etc.) of the aircraft, which use these various devices sometimes tend to regard the frequency which is displayed on the presentation screen of the RMP, RCP or RTP device as being that of the transmission channel, and adjusted by the ACP device, whereas this displayed frequency may in reality correspond to another channel.
This situation may give rise to a loss of time in so far as the crew not having adjusted the expected channel, remain in contact with the previous air traffic controller, whereas they believe themselves to be addressing the new controller and therefore the controller is made to repeat his change of frequency instruction.
Moreover, the standard use of three different, separate devices, as indicated previously, can monopolize the attention of pilots to the detriment of other crew tasks, in particular the fact of having to adjust and activate a frequency on one of the devices and to have to adjust the sound volume corresponding to this frequency on another of said devices, this possibly being an impediment in particular in fault or emergency situations.
This complexity is heightened when several of each of the three aforesaid devices are present on the flight deck. Thus, for example in aircraft of the xe2x80x9cAIRBUSxe2x80x9d type, a set made up of an ACP device and of an RMP device is available to each of the two pilots. Moreover, a third set of this type is arranged at the level of the ceiling of the flight deck. Furthermore, the mixing of the channels for reception is carried out independently by each pilot, whereas, for the adjustments (or inputs) of the frequencies and telephone numbers, the actions performed by a pilot on one of said three sets also modify the adjustments of the other two sets, since each of the various existing channels (VHF, HF, telephone, etc.) corresponds to equipment (transmitter, receiver, etc.) which can be adjusted only to a single frequency (or a channel/telephone number) at a given instant.
The present invention relates to a control device for a communication system making it possible to remedy these drawbacks.
To this end, according to the invention, said control device for a communication system of an aircraft supervising the audio communications of at least one operator of said aircraft, in particular a transport plane, said communication system effecting a communication in transmission and in reception by way of activatable values of communication (namely radio frequencies and/or telephone numbers) of particular communication channels (namely radiocommunication channels and/or telephone channels), said control device comprising a box which is furnished:
with display means for depicting on at least one presentation screen at least one of said communication values; and
control means capable of being actuated by an operator and comprising means of selection in transmission, means of selection in reception and means of input of a communication value,
is noteworthy in that said display means are capable of depicting on said presentation screen at least two communication values which have been selected and activated by way of said control means, wherein said display means are formed in such a way as always to depict, automatically, on said presentation screen, as the case may be, the communication value which has been selected and activated for the transmission, and wherein said control means furthermore comprise, on said box, mixing means capable of being actuated by an operator and allowing the latter to mix all the communication values which have been selected and activated.
Thus, by virtue of the invention, the means of control (selection and activation) of the communication values (radio frequencies and/or telephone numbers) and the mixing means (that is to say for adjusting the sound volume) are situated on the same box, thereby avoiding the aforesaid toings and froings between various devices and allowing the operator (pilot, co-pilot, etc.) to carry out simple, fast, accurate and controlled supervision of his audio communications.
Moreover, and above all, by virtue of the invention, the operator always knows which communication value (in particular the radio frequency) is the one which is activated for the transmission so that the risk of him making inadvertent maladjustments of other communication values through lack of information, no longer exists.
The control device in accordance with the invention therefore aids the carrying out and the comprehension of the various commands and makes it possible to remedy the aforesaid drawbacks.
According to the invention:
at least one of said communication channels is a radiocommunication channel of the aforesaid type and said communication values (of said communication channel) are radio frequencies; and/or
at least one of said communication channels is a telephone channel, for example of the aforesaid SATCOM network, and said communication values (of said communication channel) are telephone numbers.
To aid the tagging of the communication value, and in particular of the radio frequency, which is activated in transmission:
said display means highlight on the presentation screen the communication value activated in transmission; and/or
said control means comprise a plurality of adjustment elements, each of which is intended for selecting and activating in transmission a particular communication channel, and comprises a light, and said control means control said lights in such a way as to activate, as the case may be, the light relating to the communication channel which is selected and activated in transmission.
Furthermore, advantageously, said display means depict on said presentation screen, respectively on different presentation zones, the communication values which have been selected and activated by way of the control means, for at least some of said communication channels.
Additionally, advantageously, in order to accurately inform the operators of the actual sound volume of each of the various communication values (in particular of the radio frequencies) which are activated:
said display means depict on the presentation screen, for each communication value which is depicted on said presentation screen, a (sound volume) indicator which indicates the sound volume of the corresponding communication value and/or which indicates whether the corresponding communication value is selected in reception; and/or
said mixing means comprise a plurality of adjustment elements, each of which is intended for selecting reception and for adjusting the sound volume of a particular communication channel, and each of said adjustment elements comprises a tag, making it possible to indicate the corresponding sound volume.
Additionally, in a particular embodiment, the control device in accordance with the invention furthermore comprises:
storage means comprising at least one list of at least one communication value, which is capable of being depicted on said presentation screen by the display means;
call means capable of being actuated by an operator and allowing the latter to call said list so that it is depicted on said presentation screen; and
selection means capable of being actuated by an operator and allowing the latter to select a communication value from the list which is depicted on the presentation screen.
This particular embodiment makes it possible to achieve time savings [by anticipating the input of several useful frequencies (or telephone numbers) and by reducing the time required for frequency selection to the appropriate moments of change of frequency] and to avoid errors of input.
Moreover, advantageously, said control device also comprises a means, possibly removable, which is capable of being connected, by way of a digital link, to said storage means so as to automatically load at least one list of communication values into said storage means, thereby aiding and making safer the loading of communication values and, moreover, allowing the simultaneous loading of a plurality of such values.
Additionally, according to the invention, said control device furthermore comprises:
means, for example a keyboard and/or a set of rotary elements, for adjusting the communication values; and/or
means (buttons, thumbwheel, etc.) for displacing a particular sign over the presentation screen, making it possible to choose, from among the communication values which are depicted on said presentation screen, the one which one wishes to adjust.
The present invention also relates to a communication system, comprising in particular:
a plurality of items of communication equipment (transmitters, receivers, etc.) making it possible to effect a communication in transmission and in reception by way of communication values on communication channels;
means of audio communication [loudspeaker(s), microphone(s), etc.]; and
a control device.
According to the invention, this communication system is noteworthy in that said control device is such as that stated above.